It was already surprising when the GI Joe Classified line reached 100 figures, but now here they are with 1312.
Police Emergency Service Unit (ESU) officers enforce the law in their mission to protect and serve, defending the lives
and property of their fellow citizens.
But they don't defend them in equal measure, do they? There's that old joke that firefighters will destroy any amount of property to save lives, while police will destroy any amount of lives to save property. Oh, what's that you say? The entire population of your city is rightfully upset about mistreatment? Okay boys, half of you put on all your bodyarmor and go continue to assault the populace who are wearing normal shirts and jeans, the other half of you post up outside Starbucks in case they might get some spraypaint on their windows, the poor babies. Then tomorrow you'll break up a legal union strike on behalf of the company that's abusing its workers, and arrest a shoplifter while ignoring the multi-million-dollars of wage theft happening at the same store. But don't worry, you'll be able to pretend you have some super-dangerous job while you're really not even in the top 10. Or the top 20.
Like the firefighter, the cop is made from clever re-use where possible. For instance, he's got the legs from Outback and
the vest and belt from Law. Whatever chest is under that vest is new, because the figure doesn't only have swappable heads, it has swappable necks. The arms could have had perfectly normal sleeves, but instead we get ones that end just below the elbow (they're not rolled up, that's just how long they are) and reveal he's wearing some kind of solid black compression shirt beneath. Why? Why would you do that? Just give him normal sleeves. And while we're at it, give him normal pants, so this could just be a regular street patrol officer instead of half-SWAT.
As we said, the figure includes two heads, with the necks
swapping out as well because one of the heads is black and the other is white. They both have nice, indistinct sculpts - while you want named characters to have personality, armybuilders and scene-fillers like this need to be more nondescript. The short hair is done nicely on both of them, and the black one (the default one right out of the tray) gets a mustache and a little bit of a goatee.
As an armybuilder, the Legacy ESU Officer gets accessories specifically designed to change up his appearance, to make buying multiples worth it (something the $40 pricetag is actively working against,
but that's a different discussion). This time we get a normal police cap, a pair of yellow glasses, and a helmet with a clear face shield. The hat and helmet fit on both heads equally well, and the glasses can be worn with either of them. It's kind of hard to get the chin strap on the helmet all the way down under the chin, but thankfully the visor is hinged to raise up, which gives you better access to the strap and makes positioning it easier.
This is definitely not a very colorful figure. Black gear worn over dark navy blue? Way to be bright and flashy, man! The badge on his chest and the front of the cap are golden, and there's a patch on the left shoulder identifying where this policeman is from: Delhi Hill, referencing a Cobra-controlled town Alpine, Bazooka, Rock 'n Roll, and Mutt discovered in the Devil's Due comics. The handcuffs sculpted on the back of his belt are painted silver, as are the little loops on the front and side. One sleeve of his undershirt says "POLI[CE]" and the other says "[ST]ATE ISSUE," so guess he's wearing official underwear.
Having a few new bodyparts isn't enough
to drastically change how a Classified body moves. He has barbell heads, balljointed necks, swivel/hinge shoulders on pectoral hinges, swivel biceps, double-hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, presumably a hinged chest though the vest means it won't do anything, a balljointed waist, hips that are a balljoint mounted on a hinge, swivel thighs, double-hinged knees, swivel boots, and swivel/hinge ankles. We already mentioned the moveable face shield on the helmet, and just as with Law, the radio can be unplugged from the vest and the cord is flexible enough that the handset can be held in whatever position you want.
The accessories include a pistol that can fit in the holster on his vest, a taser that fits in the one on his right leg, a nightstick that slides into the loop on the belt, a pair of handcuffs that can also dangle
from the belt, and a flare gun that goes nowhere. There's also a tactical shotgun with a removable drum magazine, really helping shake the reputation for cops being little scaredy-cats who default to excessive force. He needs that shotgun! What if an acorn falls on him! There's a clear riot shield that can fit onto the left arm, and a softgoods poncho folded up in the tray. Finally, we get a cute little coffee cup with a sculpted lid and paper sleeve. This same accessory was also available with the HasLab Snowcat, but it makes sense for a cop. But c'mon, guys: no doughnuts?
Sadly, the photo on the back of the packaging doesn't have any fun little Easter eggs like the firefighter's did - it's just three cops standing around near their cars in the rain.
The Legacy Collection Police Emergency Service Unit officer is a really great toy of a generic cop, exactly the type of thing you could use to fill in space behind your various superhero figures. Is he keeping the public back while Spider-Man tries to stop Rhino? Is he being held hostage by Joker? Is he harassing the X-Men for just existing? Up to you! It'd be even more fun if it were just a "regular duty" officer instead of "pants tucked into his boots" wannabe tough-guy, but that alone doesn't make the toy bad. Now I wish I had a 6" scale cop car for him to drive.
-- 01/02/26
Which profession should get a toy next? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.
|
